Dream Theater
Octavarium

THE REVIEW

"What a bore these Dream Theater" was the first thought that emerged from my mind after listening to "Octavarium" in its entirety.

And yet they enjoy a large following of admirers, staying afloat for two decades beyond genres and trends. And yet their albums are always considered with tact and attention.

Have I suddenly become daft? Have I started to hate rock-prog and metal without realizing it?

None of that. On the contrary, I think that my ancient love for a certain type of rock has conditioned a motivated aversion to this much-acclaimed New York band. In "Octavarium"—a rather recent album—I found regurgitated traces of so many things I like, from certain King Crimson to Queensryche, unfortunately mixed with less noble shadows of mainstream made-in-USA groups, nerve-grating trivialities, and above all, technical pretenses that instead of evoking a bow for virtuosity, simply get on the nerves.

The music of Dream Theater sounds very self-serving to me, very contrived to impress and please, exploiting a series of tested insertions borrowed from other musicians, to create something that's hard to thoroughly criticize. Because it really is hard to find the thorn in the side of a band that knows how to play and has created a solid fan base that's not exactly popular. And at the same time, it’s hard not to understand that inside a record like "Octavarium" there is a lot of nomenclature and academicism, but little true inspiration.

The lyrics clearly reveal this, sometimes carrying a culpable naiveté that is embarrassing (for listeners), made up of adolescent phrases filled with fake wisdom that not even Gianni Togni would sing anymore (see the track "The answer lies between"). And the whole pseudo-conceptual lyrical framework that permeates the entire album reeks of egocentrism and pretension from a mile away.

In short, "Octavarium" is yet another chapter of a discography that started off pretty well with "Images and Words", but then failed to evolve; folding in on itself and transforming the magic of music into an exercise of sonic rhetoric devoid of true emotions.

You’ll throw stones at me after reading this review. I know. But I never refrain from stating what I think and since listening to "Octavarium" today has half-ruined my day, I'll take the stones and amen.